Wait Until Midnight Read Online Free
Author: Amanda Quick
feeling rather sorry for him.
"Sir." She tried to snatch the paper out of his hand. "Kindly give me that at once. What do you think you are doing?"
"I am curious about your list of errands, madam." He scanned the page quickly, his expression turning colder by the second. "Dark gray jacket and trousers? Fierce features? What the devil is going on here?"
"I do not see that my notes are of any importance to you, sir. "
"I just told you that I insist that this matter be held in confidence. There is a potential for scandal here. I have a strict rule about that sort of thing."
She frowned. "You have a rule regarding scandals? What is it?"
"I prefer to avoid them."
"Doesn't everyone?" Unable to get hold of the paper, she took refuge in an air of haughty aplomb. "Trust me, sir, I, too, have no wish to become embroiled in a scandal. I certainly have no intention of discussing your investigation outside this house."
"Then why did you find it necessary to write down these comments?"
Righteous indignation welled up inside her. "I was merely organizing my thoughts"
He surveyed what she had written. "Am I correct in assuming that some of these scribblings relate to my attire and the color of my eyes, Mrs. Fordyce?"
"Well—"
"I demand to know why you put your observations on paper. Damnation, woman, if you think to make me a subject of your private journal—"
"I assure you, I have no intention of putting you into my personal journal." She was able to make the statement with perfect sincerity because it was nothing less than the exact truth.
"Then I must conclude that you are indeed deeply involved in this affair of the murdered medium," he drawled in tones of silky menace.
She was horrified. "That is not true."
"There is no other logical reason for you to be taking such personal notes. If you are not making a record of our conversation for your journal, then I can only conclude that you are doing so in order to prepare a report for your accomplice."
"Accomplice." She shot to her feet, disoriented and badly frightened now. "That is outrageous, sir. How dare you insinuate that I might be involved in a matter of murder?"
He snapped the paper in front of her face. "How else can you explain the need to record this interview?"
She fought to pull herself together and to think clearly. "I owe you no explanations, Mr. Grove. Quite the reverse. I would remind you that you are the one who barged into this house today."
That accusation clearly irritated him. "You make it sound as though I forced my way inside. That was not the case. You instructed your housekeeper to admit me."
"Only because you told her that you had come upon business that was of grave importance to both of us" She drew herself up. "But the truth is that Mrs. Delmont's untimely death appears to be gravely important only to you, Mr. Grove"
"You are wrong on that account, Mrs. Fordyce." "Nonsense," she declared in ringing accents, confident
of her position. "I have no interest whatsoever in the circumstances surrounding the murder of Elizabeth Delmont." Adam raised his brows. He said nothing.
Two or three seconds of tense silence gripped the room.
"Other than a perfectly natural curiosity and the quite normal concern that are only to be expected from a person who has just learned of a ghastly crime, of course," she amended smoothly.
"On the contrary, Mrs. Fordyce, I am convinced that your interest in this affair goes a good deal deeper than mere curiosity and casual concern"
"How is that possible?" she demanded. "I met the woman
only last night. I had no intention of ever seeing her again. I would also remind you that I and my aunts were not the only people who attended Delmont's last séance. There were two other sitters present. I believe their names were Mrs. Howell and Mr. McDaniel."
He went to stand by the window, looking out into the gar-den. In spite of the veil of fatigue that drifted about him, his strong, sleek shoulders were set in stem,
"Sir." She tried to snatch the paper out of his hand. "Kindly give me that at once. What do you think you are doing?"
"I am curious about your list of errands, madam." He scanned the page quickly, his expression turning colder by the second. "Dark gray jacket and trousers? Fierce features? What the devil is going on here?"
"I do not see that my notes are of any importance to you, sir. "
"I just told you that I insist that this matter be held in confidence. There is a potential for scandal here. I have a strict rule about that sort of thing."
She frowned. "You have a rule regarding scandals? What is it?"
"I prefer to avoid them."
"Doesn't everyone?" Unable to get hold of the paper, she took refuge in an air of haughty aplomb. "Trust me, sir, I, too, have no wish to become embroiled in a scandal. I certainly have no intention of discussing your investigation outside this house."
"Then why did you find it necessary to write down these comments?"
Righteous indignation welled up inside her. "I was merely organizing my thoughts"
He surveyed what she had written. "Am I correct in assuming that some of these scribblings relate to my attire and the color of my eyes, Mrs. Fordyce?"
"Well—"
"I demand to know why you put your observations on paper. Damnation, woman, if you think to make me a subject of your private journal—"
"I assure you, I have no intention of putting you into my personal journal." She was able to make the statement with perfect sincerity because it was nothing less than the exact truth.
"Then I must conclude that you are indeed deeply involved in this affair of the murdered medium," he drawled in tones of silky menace.
She was horrified. "That is not true."
"There is no other logical reason for you to be taking such personal notes. If you are not making a record of our conversation for your journal, then I can only conclude that you are doing so in order to prepare a report for your accomplice."
"Accomplice." She shot to her feet, disoriented and badly frightened now. "That is outrageous, sir. How dare you insinuate that I might be involved in a matter of murder?"
He snapped the paper in front of her face. "How else can you explain the need to record this interview?"
She fought to pull herself together and to think clearly. "I owe you no explanations, Mr. Grove. Quite the reverse. I would remind you that you are the one who barged into this house today."
That accusation clearly irritated him. "You make it sound as though I forced my way inside. That was not the case. You instructed your housekeeper to admit me."
"Only because you told her that you had come upon business that was of grave importance to both of us" She drew herself up. "But the truth is that Mrs. Delmont's untimely death appears to be gravely important only to you, Mr. Grove"
"You are wrong on that account, Mrs. Fordyce." "Nonsense," she declared in ringing accents, confident
of her position. "I have no interest whatsoever in the circumstances surrounding the murder of Elizabeth Delmont." Adam raised his brows. He said nothing.
Two or three seconds of tense silence gripped the room.
"Other than a perfectly natural curiosity and the quite normal concern that are only to be expected from a person who has just learned of a ghastly crime, of course," she amended smoothly.
"On the contrary, Mrs. Fordyce, I am convinced that your interest in this affair goes a good deal deeper than mere curiosity and casual concern"
"How is that possible?" she demanded. "I met the woman
only last night. I had no intention of ever seeing her again. I would also remind you that I and my aunts were not the only people who attended Delmont's last séance. There were two other sitters present. I believe their names were Mrs. Howell and Mr. McDaniel."
He went to stand by the window, looking out into the gar-den. In spite of the veil of fatigue that drifted about him, his strong, sleek shoulders were set in stem,
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